Category: Washington State Ferries

Transporting taxpayers should take priority So one worker calls in sick and another worker oversleeps and fails to show up. The Washington State Ferry system may be the most inefficient, corrupt, union-dominated jobs program in America [“4 ferry runs canceled due to missing workers,” NWTuesday, March 26]. When will state legislators finally take control of this…

Eliminate Washington state ferry monopoly An editorial opposes anti-competitive laws, like the law requiring 15 percent of the work done on ferries be by apprentices [“Ferry system should scrap apprenticeship law,” Opinion, March 12], but fails to see the larger problem, the state ferry monopoly itself. Why support repealing anti-competitive laws in the construction of ferries,…

Senate budget doesn’t support commuter base As much as I want to congratulate the Senate in Olympia on their budget that provides Washington State Ferries with much needed replacement boats, I can’t [“Senate plan funds viaduct, 520,” Local News, March 26]. The budget identifies four new 64-car ferries. Of the 23 million yearly riders aboard WSF, this…

New Tier 2-compliant engines: Killing two birds with one stone It seems the governor has two problems that could be addressed at the same time. She wants to reduce carbon emissions, as well as lower the state’s use of diesel fuel. Here’s a suggestion for where to spend some stimulus money: start re-powering the state-ferry system…

Yes, we’re competitive Recently, the House Transportation Committee held a public hearing to discuss the possibility of eliminating the requirement that ferry vessels be constructed in Washington state. I support this and I will tell you why: Competitive bidding gets you a quality product at a lower cost. Washington state has a strong shipbuilding industry, competitive with…

Saddling riders with the state’s responsibility I am writing in response to state Rep. Judy Clibborn’s recent column [“Finding smoother waters for Washington ferries,” Jan. 26] describing the plight of Washington State Ferries (WSF). While for the most part accurate, some pertinent points were omitted. The first is that WSF is sustainable. What has happened is the…

Jim Bates / The Seattle Times The Spokane pulls into the Edmonds ferry dock. Fix the four, don’t sell them Editor, The Times: I don’t remember this being proposed before [“Deal to sell ferries on hold,” Times, Local News, Jan. 28]. Each of the three steel-electric Illahee Class boats were rebuilt, including the deck cabins, in 1987 for…

Try to stay afloat Washington is a proud supporter of labor and the long-standing industries that helped make the state an economic powerhouse. If we weren’t, Boeing wouldn’t be making airplanes here anymore and our government officials wouldn’t have stepped up to keep the majority of the company’s airplane construction here. Given that, it’s a shame The…

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